CRAFTING WELLNESS STORY

"The Best Protection Is Early Detection"

Charlotte's Fight for Her Life Brought Her to Her Destiny.

Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and a few years later Charlotte was also diagnosed. As a survivor, she dedicates her life alongside the BCF to help recently diagnosed patients as they gear up for quite literally the battle of their lives.

MDF Instruments® is honored to partner with THE Breast Cancer Fundraiser, as part of our Crafting Wellness program. READ MORE >

For every MD One® Breast Cancer Edition Stethoscope sold, MDF Instruments® donates $5 directly to THE Breast Cancer Fundraiser to support their amazing efforts.

TRANSCRIPT

SPEAKERS Charlotte, Brooke Smith

Brooke Smith 00:09
Welcome to our crafting wellness podcast and on behalf of MDF Instruments, I would love to introduce you today to Charlotte. Hi, Charlotte, how are you? Hi, I'm doing well, how are you? doing very well, I'm so excited to have you on our podcast. And I would love for everyone watching who doesn't know you to kind of, if you could just give us a little introduction and tell us your story.

Charlotte 00:30
Yes, absolutely. Well, first and foremost, thank you so much for having me and allowing me to just share my story during this really important month of breast cancer awareness. So a little bit about me. My name is Charlotte Martin, I'm 32 years old. I lived a very healthy normal life up until my diagnosis A few years ago, I grew up just outside of London with my mom and my three brothers. And I moved to the US when I was about 18 years old. I never imagined that a couple years after moving here that I would be the daughter of a breast cancer survivor. And then just a few years after that, I myself would then be a survivor. So it certainly took me by shock a little bit. It was October 2018, when I was diagnosed, I was 31 years old and living in Marina Del Rey and I was getting ready to jump in the shower. And you know, I kind of just raised across my chest. And then that's when I found the mass on my my right side. And at first glance, it was kind of unassuming, I didn't really think too much of it, you know, as a little concern, just because I come from family history of breast cancer. But like I said, it was kind of unassuming and I started to sort of press around. And that's when I noticed that there was like two distinct lumps, like a small piece size and then a small mass. So a little scary to say the least. I did some googling, as I think most people probably would. In my situation. I think that's the first thing most people do these days. And as you can imagine, like most of the symptoms that I had from feeling the lump to the dimpling it just something didn't seem right. And the results didn't look so great, though. I guess you could say from that point on, like zero to 60 seconds, it was like, I ended up in nonstop appointments for the better part of like two weeks. And then on October 6 is when I see my diagnosis from my radiologists that it was stage one her to breast cancer. And I was pretty floored was quite a shock. I think I did some research on it. And then getting breast cancer at my age with the type of it was like a one in 10,000. So needless to say, I was pretty, pretty scared for my life. You know, I've kind of felt blindsided in a way like I didn't, I was in disbelief, I didn't really think that this could happen to me. Since over the years, I requested mammograms and I was actually declined mammograms up until my diagnosis because I was too young and healthy. So it was a little disappointing because, you know, I've tried to kind of take those steps to prevent or take the steps to sort of, you know, be my own advocate and, and get a mammogram done ahead of time. But unfortunately, that didn't work out. So my journey began that day. And I would say probably just a year and a half later, I'd gone through 50 doctor's visits, five surgeries, six months of chemotherapy, IVF IVs, hair loss, weight gain, you name it, I kind of had to do the whole thing. And I think one of the hardest parts is just kind of coming to terms with the, you know, just re identifying with myself like kind of finding myself again, you know, I think as a woman, you when you lose your hair and you put on weight, you really just you don't know who you are, and you have to kind of like, find yourself again. So you know, it was it was a tough couple years and I've just since then I've really tried my best to share my story, the good and the bad. I think there's some really genuine and raw and real about just being honest about all the different steps that you're going through. And I know that it's helped a lot of women just be more of like an advocate for themselves. I still have girlfriends that I have to remind every month like do yourself breast exams and you know, I think it was a real shock for my friends just because I guess you could say I was like the vision of health, like, you know, I work out, I ate healthy, nothing was wrong with me, you know, and then all of a sudden, it's like, boom, you get diagnosed with breast cancer, and it just took so many people back that I think it just shocks them into Wow, like, I really should start doing my self breast exams. And that was another lesson for me was just the lack of education for women. Under 40. I think there's so much information out there about doing self breast exams, sort of after 40 and doing your mammograms after 40. And the truth is, so many younger women are getting diagnosed, kind of before 40. So I think we just need to have the conversation a little bit more. But you know, my entire life has completely changed. I was in medical sales. And then I got diagnosed, and I received a weekend package, which was such a lovely gift, I reached out to a dear friend of mine called Aaron Monroe, who, at the time, I had known her from Colorado. And she was I knew that she was also a breast cancer survivor. And she was involved in the breast cancer fundraiser. And she, she sent me a care package. And I'm not even kidding, I had like, probably $500 worth of items in my Amazon cart, because I just, I had no idea what I was going to need. So when this care package arrived, it just was so heartwarming, because there was a beanie in there, there was a blanket and a journal. She wrote them a beautiful note, just saying like, you know, you've been there for a year mom, like, we are going to be there for you now. And that just made me like, bowl. I lost it for like, an hour just because, you know, just to know that you have people there to support you is there's no words for it really. And then, you know, just little things like tissues or face wipes. And and I also received an MDF instrument. And at the time, I was like, What is this for? Like, what? Why do I need a stethoscope for and then, and then towards the end of my treatment, I was like I need to get my nurse again. And I was like, hold on, they wear them. So I gifted my nurse the NDF instrument. And she was just so taken back and so grateful because it's it's the one with a little bow on it. And it was so happy and it was like the Rose Bowl. And yeah, I mean, this package was just everything that I needed that I didn't know, I needed the founder of the breast cancer funds. And I was like, Listen, I want to host an event like I love what you guys are doing. You're really like there's nothing else out there. Like I want to raise money for the for the foundation. So I hosted my first event and I raised nearly $15,000 for the breast cancer fundraiser my first event and there was just so much great energy, I had all my friends, my community, you know, supporters from the breast cancer fundraiser there. And a couple of months later Neela was like Charlotte, like, would you like to get involved? We love what you're doing. We love your energy. And that's kind of what led me to now I call it like my new chapter, my new life because I really have taken like a 360 on what I was doing before. Now what I'm doing and in a weird way, like I kind of look at it as this is my purpose. Like this is maybe what I was supposed to be doing because the impact women and men just sharing, you know, their stories and it's it's a good feeling. So now I'm the director of giving at the breast cancer fundraiser. And, you know, our mission at the breast cancer fundraiser is to preserve the dignity of breast cancer patients and their loved ones. And that's exactly what we do. And I have felt it I've been the recipient of a week care package. And I'm so grateful for this partnership because you know, just seeing the impact that it had like feeling it and then also continuing to give it back. It's it's a good feeling. It's like full circle. We just delivered like 50 packages the other day to UCLA and I was just floored because last year I was a patient they're like having treatment and now I'm going back and you know providing these women with comfort.

Brooke Smith 09:57
That's so beautiful. I feel like the I talk to people. I because we've been talking to a lot of healthcare workers, nurses, doctors, students. It's really interesting when they when I hear their story about how they got into health care or like why they did, and it's always interconnected with someone helped thier grandfather or they themselves had a health issue and got really sick and appreciated the care that they received from a nurse, and then that inspired them to want to do something great. And I just think it really shows how powerful love and kindness is. Because it's one of those things when you feel loved and cared for you, when you feel those feelings. From sometimes even strangers, it's so powerful that it ignites something in you that makes you say, Oh, my gosh, I want to make someone else feel this feeling because I was so scared and alone and, and afraid. And now I feel so much better. And I want to pass that along to someone else, and make them feel like they're not alone, and make them feel like someone cares and loves and is there for them. And I just think it's really, really beautiful. And your story just really highlights just how powerful kindness and love can be and giving time or giving products and little things that you know, people don't have to do. And doesn't have to always be this monumental thing. I think that's something I wanted people to remember that it's sometimes little things having a journal having tissue. But having someone give that in a way that says, hey, I know you're going to need this, you have enough going on, like the fight of your life. And I want to make this as easy as you as I can. And just that sentiment there. It really can ignite so much power in bringing out the best in people and people wanting to really kind of domino effect that into other parts of life.

Charlotte 12:06
I think, No I agree. And in each care package, I actually hand write every note that goes into them. So when somebody is requesting a week care package for their loved one, a friend, a girlfriend, I handwrite the message that they have chosen to send to their loved one and it's it's really heartwarming and it feels so good on my end too, because I always like to kind of add a little something in the end for me just to say no, this is coming from a warrior This is coming from the breast cancer fundraiser and then you know the note from their their loved one. And I know that when I received the package, one of the loveliest parts about it was the handwritten notes from Erin Monro. It just was so heartwarming, and I think it's that personal touch that really makes the week have packaged unique to the patient that's receiving it.

Brooke Smith 13:07
Absolutely. And I think just to go off that a little bit, you know, sometimes when you're starting a journey, and then someone who's been through that journey through a similar journey as you and they're on there a little further down the line, they're on the other side of it, to receive a message from them, it's kind of in a weird way, like if you could give a note to your, like five year old self and like tell yourself something like everything's gonna be okay. It's kind of this kind of shooting back to them and saying, Listen, I'm further along the journey I've been where you've been, I had I've been exactly where you are. And I'm on the side now able to send you a message and, and one day you will be able to be on the other side with me sending a message. Yeah. It's a really, really beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing.

Charlotte 13:50
So many people that go through like a cancer diagnosis that don't have that resource, you know, and that is my goal long term wise is to try and figure out a way of giving back to cancer or cancer patients in some way of delivering them a care package because, you know, I some some people's journeys, by no means really ever easy, some are very quick, they get their treatment, they it's resolved, and others are essentially going through the treatment for the rest of their life. So then just have that little bit of comfort and like that those first couple weeks after a diagnosis or you know, the first month after diagnosis is it's really great. And you know, I think this month during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, you know, we've really tried very hard to like kind of cultivate the bag and make sure that everything in there is exactly what they're going to need and it comes from like a first time experience, you know, just Little things like a little we have pill organizes. And, you know, I had that in my Amazon purchase list, because you have so many different medications and, you know, if you're not organized with it can be very, very overwhelming, you're, you're going to miss the day of the week, or there's going to be kind of pills scattered everywhere. So the package is really well put together. And I'm just I'm grateful that I think given this opportunity in life to like, give back and, like you said, just showing a little bit of love and, and time, like, I think you're right, when you say like you can give in so many different ways. It doesn't always have to be I think there's a misconception about giving, I think a lot of people just think you give, you have to give money to charities, when really that's actually not the case, you know, just giving your time or giving a platform giving an opportunity to speak about something you're passionate about. sharing what you know, if you're, if you're following a foundation, and you believe in it, sharing that and educating people about what they're doing like that is giving. And that's probably one of our biggest gifts is when either we have a patient that shares their journey of receiving a package or, you know, starts a fundraiser with 30 of their friends. You know, it's there's so many different ways to give.

Brooke Smith 16:29
Yeah, I love that because I was just going to ask for everyone watching for the BCF if they wanted to donate or give what would be the best way for them to get involved. And I definitely want to link your website and your Instagram and everything in this video, so everyone can go check the BCF out. Do you have any advice on how they can help? I would love to hear it.

Charlotte 16:51
Absolutely. So we have on our website, there is a giving section. So the care package itself is $250. And that covers five categories of care. So it's we care about your beauty, we care about your health and wellness, we care about your comfort, we care about your loved ones, and we care about your journey. So within that package, there's those five categories. And there's so many different things in there. So you know, there's the link on the website where you can give or sponsor a week care package for someone that's going through treatment. And then something else that's really fun, we have a 30 by 30 fundraiser that you can host, it's so easy, and it's just simply inviting 30 close friends, to donate $30 for 30 days, so be $30 per person for the month, super easy, we kind of work it out as like $1 a day. So you can do with 3530 It's so simple. And that actually, between 30 friends, you can send a couple weekend packages, which is really amazing. So that's another way to so there's a couple different options and they're all listed on the website. But the the main two are there is a giving page. And then I would recommend the 30 by 30. fundraiser. That's a fun one.

Brooke Smith 18:15 Yeah, and that's great for all the students watching as well because you can add no there's power in numbers, they say that for a reason. Because maybe you don't have a lot of money to give, maybe you can't afford $250 by yourself. But if you get a bunch of friends together and everybody gives a little bit before you know it, you have you're able to to help a lot of people. So you can always share the BCF post them in your stories and just share the information because a lot of people can't get the help or they can't donate if they don't know that it's there. And so I think it's really important to that sharing all about the VCF and their page and their Instagram and their Facebook will be very helpful too.

Charlotte 18:57
Yeah, I really appreciate that. Thank you so much broken, you're right it's there. There are a lot of people that are going through some really challenging times so I think doing something fun like getting the costs involved or getting you know fellow co workers the impact is so much greater and even just by like a small amount. That's awesome. Thank you for highlighting that of course Yeah, every little bit helps and I'm very grateful to be doing what I'm doing. And you know, I'm the the only person really that's running the breast cancer fundraiser and I think that's important to highlight too because a lot of there's a lot of foundations out there and you never really know where your money is going you know you I for many years contributed to a specific Breast Cancer Foundation and I always question like how much is the money did I raise is going to a patient or to reset and I'm you know we have very minimal expenses were three Grass Roots, you know, foundation. And I think that's a really good thing for people to know that like, their money is going straight back to the patients. And that's me, that's everything. And I, my goal is to keep it that way for as long as I can. So I'm going to be hustling away.

Brooke Smith 20:19
Absolutely. So true. And Charlotte, you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. So knowing that you're running that whole thing, and that whole charity, I know that it's all being every every single dime is being put where it needs to be put. I know that without question at all, thank you. I know you had mentioned that a lot of people are getting diagnosed a lot earlier than 40. And that people aren't really checking as much as they should, on their breasts. And I'd also love to talk about the fact that men can also get breast cancer, because I think that's something that a lot of people talk about, you know.

Charlotte 20:59
I think, first and foremost, we just, we just need to talk about it more, you know, you are right, there are a lot more younger women getting diagnosed. And I think I think the one thing we have to remember is to not only be our own health advocates, but also not look at doing a self breast exam as like a chore. You know, I think it's more of an act of self love. You know, speaking to women, specifically, you know, we, we monitor our menstrual cycles, you know, we're educated growing up to keep a track on these things. But we're not really told to do a self breast exam or to keep an eye on yourself. And you know, more and more women are getting diagnosed in their 20s and their 30s. So a couple things I would recommend is his knowledge is everything. So, you know, first things first, like, ask questions, you know, ask your, your mother or your grandmother, your aunts, and find out if there's a family history of it. Secondly, you know, there's resources available for you to get the brockagh testing done, which is for ovarian and breast cancer. Some people might not be familiar with that this was a little bit more common, but something that Angelina Jolie had. So she tested positive for the gene, and she elected to do a double mastectomy. So there's other ways just to research to see if you have you carry the gene, obviously, if you do carry the gene, long term wise, there's many more chances that you might develop breast cancer, you know, later on. But yeah, I think just asking questions and having knowledge. And then the same with men. And it's, it's really, really sad, because I think the conversation has just never been had with men, I think, you know, we just associate this with, like, breast cancer women. And the truth of the matter is, is men also get diagnosed with breast cancer, the general message is just know your bodies, know what it looks like and be familiar with it. And don't be naive if you notice something that's not right or different. That's really, the main reason why I'm here today, and I found my breast cancer very early is because I knew something wasn't right. It wasn't common. The dimple was a huge sign, but then also the lump, like there was just a lot of telling signs, and I had an appointment within a week. And because I made that appointment so quickly, that is the reason why it didn't spread to my lymph nodes. Because when breast cancer spreads to your lymph nodes is when it can go metastatic. And at that point, that means that the cancer spread throughout your entire body and your outcomes can be very different. So just knowing your body, knowing if there's changes for women, you typically want to do yourself breast exam two weeks after your menstrual cycle, that is the time of month that they recommend it. And there's a really great app, it's called. They're called keep abreast Foundation, and they have an app and you can go on there and it shows you how to do it. You can track if there's anything different, it shows you the symptoms. And then you can just kind of make a calendar reminder every month. So it's very helpful, but I think it's important to know that you're not looking for cancer, you just need to know your body. And check it every month. Just so you know. We're always looking in the mirror. We're always kind of paying attention to our hair or makeup or the guys you know we're in shape. And if there's something that's not right, like don't be afraid to go the doctor. and be like hey, Something's not right and do it quickly. Um, I had a lot of doctors tell me that I, in the initial stages, they were trying to schedule me for appointments like five weeks out. And I'm like, Whoa, I have a lump, and I have breast cancer and you're trying to schedule me five weeks away, I was like, that's not gonna happen. That's five weeks of growth that my cancer is having in my body. And I put my foot down, and I not gonna work for me, I am the daughter of a survivor. And I also have breast cancer, this is a new diagnosis, you need to get me in sooner. And sure enough, they called me back and I got him within a week.

Brooke Smith 25:45
I think great message, you have to advocate for your own health because nobody is going to do it for you. The other thing too, is I think it's so important what you're saying. And I just want to drive it home more for everybody watching. That, yes, you know, your own body. And when someone tells you, oh, you're too young, that won't be an issue for you. That's just not accurate information. children get very young children get cancer, um, you know, you can have health problems, a very young age when you're supposedly healthy and all of these things. So listen to your body, check your body know your body, don't be afraid to touch your body. Yeah, your body so that when something doesn't feel right, you can say, that's, that's not right, something's wrong. And don't let anyone tell you Oh, no, you're being dramatic. You're being you're, you're just worrying for no reason, you're fine, you're fine. And sure, it's just a sister. It's nothing at all boobs, or, you know, that kind of thing. I think it's really important to listen to your heart and your instincts when you know something is wrong and go get that help you need and don't let people make a scheduling five weeks out. That is not, so we're fine. Because you're right, it's early detection is everything. That's why we're so we're talking so much about, you know, self self checking, and all that every single month, because the earlier you can detect something wrong, the better chance you're gonna have of surviving it and being on the other side and being able to help other people with that. And we need all of you.

Charlotte 27:24
Yeah, it's so true. Um, you know, I even often my diagnosis, I had girlfriends that had to fight to get a mammogram done, and they're over 40. And, you know, it's, it's very difficult with insurance companies, sometimes they get up there, like you're too young. And they will say that, and you really have to just put your foot down. They did pass a law in California, where if you have dense breast, you're actually able to get a breast mammogram before 14.

Brooke Smith 27:58
Can you explain what what a dense breast is?

Charlotte 28:01
Yes, so a dense breast, it's going to be women that have softer tissue, and kind of like, feeling like lumpia. So you might think, gosh, there's something wrong, but that's kind of it's more like dense, soft tissue, and then a little bit more like lumpier. And sometimes a lot of women have like six cysts very common. So it's important to monitor those first and foremost, and I stressed this because a dear friend of mine, she went to the doctor, she had a, she had what she was told was a cyst. And they didn't perform a mammogram on her and they said, You know what, we'll keep you on the watch and whitelist. So they kept on the watch and wait list. And three months later, she was stage three breast cancer. So something that I would advise is, you know, take an extra step.

Brooke Smith 29:01
Absolutely. And I kind of want to bounce off that a little bit. I know that it was already hard for sometimes it can be really hard for people who want to go into the doctor and do these things. And I I'm wondering if you have any advice for people who are afraid to kind of go in because of COVID and everything. I'm wondering how that's affecting just everyone's health because even people who have other kinds of issues, I feel like people just aren't as inclined to go in to the doctor because of COVID.

Charlotte 29:38
Obviously we've been experiencing some incredibly unsettling times. And it's it's, it's scary for a lot of people to go out in general. But I will say this, you know, leaving your health you could do great damage by not making an appointment. Now, again, times are different. So your first appointment would be right now would be scheduling like a digital appointment with your doctor, that would be the first appointment that you're likely make, which you may be more comfortable with, because you're going to your own home, you can certainly ask questions and, and discuss about perhaps what you may feel or what you've noticed is different. But I think it's important to highlight that, you know, leaving something could be greater than taking that one step. So taking that one step, I just encourage you just be strong and and know that, you know, you can take precautionary steps to be safe and public, you can wear a mask, you can wear gloves, or you can bring hand sanitizer, and make sure that you're washing your hands really, very regularly for at least 30 seconds, you know, you're really taking the time to take care of yourself.

Brooke Smith 31:08
I think you can't let the fear of something stop you from advocating for your own health, I think it's there is see now, I just think, don't use COVID as an excuse to not take care of yourself and your health. Because I know that sometimes people will find any excuse they can to kind of not go into the doctor if they especially when they fear Something is wrong. It's very counterintuitive, because you know, you want to go when you feel something's wrong, you want to go get the help you need. But it can be very hard for people who actually fear that they have something wrong with them, they're less inclined to go to the doctor because they don't want that bad news. And I think you just have to know that having the knowledge like you You spoke about before, is going to in the end is going to be the best thing for you facing those fears. You can get through anything. And for everyone watching me look at Charlotte over here, you would never know she's so strong and, and beautiful. And you would never know her hard battles that she's fought. She's a warrior here. And I think she's a great, great example of staying strong and getting through something,

Charlotte 32:20
I will say this. My cancer develops, it's in body for years before when you feel the lump is when it's it's kind of protruding the skin and it's become invasive. That's when you've got to be really quick about it. But my, my cancer grew for years. And when I look back to when my doctor said that it had started kind of developing, like the time frame. Um, I did not manage my stress levels. I certainly I was very up and down with a lot of stress. I didn't manage it, I was not exercising. Very rarely did I get a good sweat on my diet. So there's a lot of things that I look back and I'm like, No, could they have been contributing factors to perhaps something that might have caused because you know, inflammation, it's that's kind of where cancer starts developing. It's from inflammation in your body, and it's the cells reacting to it. And my tips to really living like a healthy life. And hopefully, preventing you from anything like this happening is, you know, be vocal if you're feeling down and talk to your friends and family if you're low. And if you're going through something like try your hardest to not internalize it, because that will cause inflammation that will cause your body to react in really bad ways. So release a lot of that from you. As best as you can exercise out, whatever make go red in the face, do it. That's good. When you get those blood cells going and you're exercising, like I started doing the Trump lane for 20 minutes. And I'm like, this is the best because I don't have to go running for 45 minutes. If you can get into a workout while you're getting so read, and you're getting those blood cells and the blood moving through your body. That's all you need to do. So somehow stay fit, it's going to help you keep your body strength, like strong, your immune system strong, especially right now with COVID. And then also just monitor your diet. Make sure you're eating. I mean, I cheat. I cheat a lot. But I also try and have some vegetables. And I also monitor you know my alcohol intake. It's like it's a good balance. You know, just try and live like a balanced Life. And those are my tips, because I think it's important to just kind of think about those things and not just kind of be lazy about it really.

Brooke Smith 35:11
I love those tips, I think it's really important for people to find those things that will work for them to de stress them, you know, what works for one person might not work for another, maybe you need to take a hot bath to distress or maybe you need to go on like a hike. Or maybe you need to be in nature, or whatever that is, it's going to really kind of calm you down and bring you back to center. Because stress is, it is really bad for your health extremely, extremely toxic to your body. We have very physiol physiological reactions to stress. So yeah, I think self care, it comes back to self care. And I love all of those tips. do you what do you do for self care the most would you say, I know you kind of generally gave a lot of tips. But what is the thing that you do that when Charlotte is super stressed out, and she's had a really bad day, or just a hard week, what are the things that you kind of do to bring yourself back.

Charlotte 36:06
Um, I will start early in the morning, and I'll tell you, my favorite thing to do is watch the sunrise. I have been going and watching the sunrise and I meditate. And I do my gratitudes first thing in the morning, I wake up, I watch the sun coming up. And I I literally I I speak three gratitudes that I'm grateful for every day. And that brings me a lot of joy. Now let's go through the day, if I'm having a really long day, I love taking a bath. At the end of the day, I put some Eucalyptus you know soak in the bath that really relaxes me. And then also just having like, you know, a great walk around sunset, just going for a walk. And especially right now, like the seasons are changing, there's just a really amazing like smell and energy in the air. So like, I'll usually go for like an evening walk. And just able to, like, reflect and just be grateful for where we live. And the people that we have in our life, like, just gives you that time to kind of like, process everything from the day and have time to yourself.

Brooke Smith 37:28
If you have anybody that you want nominee to be on the podcast, I would love to do another one with Yeah, where it could be you and the person you want to nominate. And we could do this again, because I think you have so much knowledge. And I think it's also really important. And then it doesn't even have to necessarily be anyone who's involved with breast cancer awareness. But I do think that it is something that we want to always highlight in October because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. However, this is something that really we need to be talking about the entire year, we need to be having these conversations. We need to be reminding our loved ones to be checking on themselves. And I think the best thing we can do is really just keep the conversation going and keep talking about all the great things that he's doing all the great opportunities, people can get involved. Because I know people really they like to donate around the holidays. And then I know the end of the year can start to get rough for people because nobody really is kind of showing up in those ways. So I've really loved if you think of anyone that you would love to bring on the podcast?

Charlotte 38:33
I already have a name. And her she she inspires me. When I'm having a down day, I think of this woman. And I think of like just the sheer resilience and strength that she has. And she's like, she's unlike anyone I've ever met. Her name is Natalie Gromit. She not only is a breast cancer survivor, she's a route 91 survivor from the shooting in Las Vegas from the concept. I have chills just got to I got them to is the epitome of like a warrior. Like she embodies strength and love and compassion and empathy. Like she's, she's a goddess in my mind, this woman has been through so much hardship, yet she's just the sweetest soul and her story. I mean, it impacts people that like they wouldn't expect. They're taken back just from the thoughts of what she's been through and and what she's survived and it's been two years since the shooting and you know, she's still going through surgeries and kind of getting back but I would love to nominate her because he inspires me every single day.

Brooke Smith 39:58
I know we can all use some inspiration there. I'd love to highlight her story and her strength and her resilience and inspire her people through her and you because you're also a lawyer and a goddess. So we'd love to have you both back on and vegetarian, talk to her and see if she'd be interested. And we can do another one. It'll be both of you on and I'll let you guys talk to each other, and then kind of pop in a little bit. But yeah, I think, really great to have that I would love it.

Charlotte 40:28
Really wonderful about sharing his story and inspiring inspiring men and women to just be grateful for what they have. Love it. That's gonna be a good one. I love everyone watching.

Brooke Smith 40:41
You have something even more great to look forward to.

Charlotte 40:47
The next one would be the next one. You might need your tissues because I get chills. And every time I listened to her talk, I start welling up. So in a good way, like I'm just filled with love.

Brooke Smith 40:59
Yes. And we all I think we can all use that right now. I really thank you so much for joining our crafting on this podcast. It's been such a pleasure having you on and we look forward to doing a continued version  in the near future. 

Charlotte 41:13
Yes, thank you so much for having me. And I hope that I hope that there is a message of love and hope and self advocacy that you will can take away from this. You know, never forget to love yourselves and be your own. Be your own health advocates and do do your best to get involved in in whatever you can give back in some way.

Brooke Smith 41:40
Yes, and for everyone watching, we are linking all of this information on BCF, their website, Facebook and all of that so you can check it out. Please share it with your friends and get involved in let's let's shine some light and some love to help all of this people going through the fight of their lives.

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